![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.reunion68.com\/Biuletyn\/img\/algem.png\")
<\/a>Crypto\u2019s Role in Iran\u2019s Global Terrorism Exposed by New Lawsuit Against Binance<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nDavid Swindle<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Cryptocurrency has come under increasing scrutiny for its alleged role in subverting the United States\u2019 sanctions against Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, with the world\u2019s top platform receiving an unwanted spotlight this week.<\/span><\/p>\n On Monday, lawyers in North Dakota sued Binance, the world\u2019s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao,\u00a0alleging the company had facilitated<\/a>\u00a0more than $1 billion in funding to designated terrorist groups backed by the Islamic regime in Iran. The US federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of victims\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0Hamas\u2019<\/span>s Oct. 7, 2023,\u00a0invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The suit represents the latest instance of cryptocurrency allegedly playing a role in Iran\u2019s efforts to destroy the Jewish state. Leaders of Iran and its network of terrorist groups named in the complaint, including Hamas<\/span>, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), routinely declare their goal of wiping Israel off the map.<\/span><\/p>\n Israel has previously\u00a0clashed with Binance in its counter-terrorism efforts<\/a>. In May 2023, the Jewish state seized nearly 200 accounts on the platform linked to Islamist groups, including ISIS. In November 2022, researchers at Nobitex said that since 2018,\u00a0Binance had processed $7.8 billion<\/a>\u00a0through Iran-linked accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n This week\u2019s suit adds further evidence of the recurring link between Iranian terrorism and cryptocurrency, identifying the high profit potential for those willing to attempt to dodge US sanctions against terror financing.<\/span><\/p>\n Binance has declined to discuss the lawsuit but told Reuters that \u201cwe comply fully with internationally recognized sanctions laws.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jonathan Missner, the attorney who represents\u00a0the Oct. 7 victims and their families<\/a>\u00a0named as plaintiffs in the suit, said that Binance\u2019s alleged facilitating of payments to terror groups \u201cwas not a compliance\u201d but rather \u201ca business model.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur investigation shows that Binance built systems designed to evade oversight, using its off-chain network and weak controls to move enormous sums for sanctioned groups,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n The lawsuit states that \u201cby knowingly moving and concealing the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars for Hamas, the\u00a0IRGC [Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]<\/a>, Hezbollah, and PIJ, Defendants Binance Holdings Limited, Changpeng Zhao, and Guangying \u2018Heina\u2019 Chen provided pervasive and systemic assistance to these terrorist organizations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Chen is described in the suit as a co-founder of Binance and \u201cde facto CFO.\u201d The lawsuit charges that Zhao and Chen \u201cmaterially contributed to the Oct. 7 attacks and to subsequent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas, Hezbollah, and PIJ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n One of the plaintiffs named in the suit is Eyal Balva, whose son Omer died in combat following the Oct. 7 atrocities while serving in the Israel Defense Forces. \u201cBinance\u2019s platform moved the money that helped fund the violence that destroyed our family,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Zhao and Binance \u2014 the world\u2019s largest crypto trading platform with $300 billion in daily trades and more than 280 million users \u2014 have previously faced penalties for criminality. As part of a 2023 settlement agreement with the US Treasury Department\u2019s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Binance paid $4.3 billion in fines and restitution. Zhao was previously convicted of money laundering and served four months imprisonment. US President Donald Trump pardoned Zhao, with analysts noting the decision came following a sizable investment by Binance into the Trump family Crypto exchange platform World Liberty Financial.<\/span><\/p>\n The lawsuit also notes a money laundering scheme involving transferring gold from Venezuela to Iran to overcome American sanctions, and that Binance \u201cpitched itself to terrorist organizations, narcotics traffickers, and tax evaders as beyond the reach of any single country\u2019s laws or regulations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On Wednesday, Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi put out a statement condemning the possibility of\u00a0potential US military action against Venezuela<\/a>, labeling the Trump administration\u2019s posture a \u201cbullying approach.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The filing against Binance comes in a year in which Australian authorities have highlighted the alleged role of cryptocurrency in\u00a0directing antisemitic hate crimes in Melbourne and Sydney<\/a>, prompting the expulsion of Iran\u2019s ambassador in August.<\/span><\/p>\n Australian Security Intelligence Organization (Asio) chief Mike Burgess said that his team had found connections \u201cbetween the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added, \u201cThey\u2019re just using cut-outs, including people who are criminals and members of organized crime gangs to do their bidding or direct their bidding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cryptocurrency has\u00a0long functioned as a tool of Iran<\/a>\u00a0to evade US sanctions. The high energy costs from the so-called \u201cmining\u201d of cryptocurrency \u2014 powerful computers must run complex programs in order to generate additional tokens for trading \u2014 has put a strain on Iran\u2019s electrical system. Mohammad Allahdad, Iran\u2019s deputy director of power generation, said that the business practice \u201crepresents around 5 percent of total electricity consumption\u201d and \u201cit accounts for up to 20 percent of the current power deficit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Allahdad also warned that the heat from crypto mining devices was \u201cintense\u201d and could cause fires. \u201cWe\u2019ve had multiple reports from fire departments about fires linked to mining rigs, some of which spread to neighboring homes,\u201d he noted.<\/span><\/p>\n Now is potentially the worst time for fires in Iran, given a persistent devastating drought and ongoing government mismanagement of the water system. The situation has reached the point that Iran\u2019s president said last week that the country had\u00a0\u201cno choice\u201d but to evacuate and move the capital Tehran<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe truth is, we have no choice left \u2014 relocating the capital is now a necessity,\u201d Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a speech.<\/span><\/p>\n The US State Department recently noted that Iran has provided Lebanese Hezbollah with more than $100 million each month this year. Critics of the regime have pointed out that funds spent in the war effort to destroy Israel could have gone toward improving infrastructure to better support the civilian population. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that one-third of the water supply to Tehran is\u00a0lost through leaks and theft<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion’68,<\/em> Crypto\u2019s Role in Iran\u2019s Global Terrorism Exposed by New Lawsuit Against Binance David Swindle The logo of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Illustration: Reuters\/Dado Ruvic Cryptocurrency has come under increasing scrutiny for its alleged role in subverting the United States\u2019 sanctions against Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, with the world\u2019s top platform receiving an unwanted spotlight this week. On […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[33,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126181"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126181"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126197,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126181\/revisions\/126197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n![](\"https:\/\/www.algemeiner.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2023-05-04T184046Z_2_LYNXMPEJ430T2_RTROPTP_4_FINTECH-CRYPTO-BINANCE-ISLAMIC-STATE-1-1.jpg\")
The logo of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Illustration: Reuters\/Dado Ruvic<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion’68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.
\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:
\n<\/em>webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"